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“So close to glory.”

That’s how Iván Barton described the moment he heard his last name called during the 2026 World Cup referee assignment meeting. It wasn’t to ask a question or to correct some administrative detail.

The next sentence changed his career forever: “Barton, your match is France vs. Spain. … After that, I didn’t hear anything else. I didn’t even know who my assistant referees would be.” The World Cup semifinal — one of the biggest matches a referee can officiate — had just been entrusted to the Salvadoran.

“It’s like going into shock, but a good kind of shock. ‘This is happening — it’s really happening.’ Reaching a semifinal is coming within a hair’s breadth of glory, because after a World Cup final, there’s nothing left,” Barton said.

There’s one detail in that scene that captures the magnitude of the moment. While waiting for the meeting to begin, Barton was checking the airline’s app on his phone. His ticket was still scheduled for a return flight to El Salvador the next day. He had already started packing, convinced that his World Cup was over.

“I was already mentally preparing to fly back to El Salvador the next day,” Barton recalled. “When I heard ‘Barton,’ I thought, ‘What happened?’ Then they said, ‘Spain vs. France, semifinal.’ I didn’t even hear the names of my assistants.”

The first thing he did after that was call his wife.

“That’s when the tears of joy came,” he said. “It was also a moment to thank God for what was happening and immediately start preparing for the match.”

For the first time, both World Cup semifinal matches were officiated by CONCACAF referees. Barton officiated the France-Spain match, while American Ismail Elfath refereed the England-Argentina match. The confederation described both appointments as an unprecedented event for the region.

Barton said he fulfilled a dream working during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he and other CONCACAF referees were determined to show their ability to call the most important games.

“Qatar meant making a dream come true. Making it to 2026 was a huge challenge because the bar had been set very high,” Barton said. “There were high expectations. We approached it with a great sense of responsibility and humility.”

When the tournament ended, the feeling was different from that of his first World Cup.

“I feel happy, very proud to have placed our little El Salvador flag practically at the very top of world soccer,” he said. “That’s what fills me with the most pride. We continue to open doors not only for my country, but also for the entire region and for CONCACAF refereeing.”

The red card that made history

Among the four matches Barton officiated, the Turkey-Paraguay game went down in history at the 45+3-minute mark.

During a confrontation between Miguel Almirón and Turkey’s Mert Muldur, the Paraguayan star covered his mouth while speaking aggressively to his opponent.

Barton had to review the play via VAR, and as stipulated by the new amendment to Law 12, the incident resulted in a red card, since the situation had elements of confrontation and the gesture served to conceal provocative, derogatory or inflammatory communication.

The review confirmed his interpretation.

Almirón became the first player sent off in a World Cup under this new provision.

For Barton, however, the story isn’t simply about a player covering his mouth.

“People get confused. It’s not just the act of doing it; it’s doing it in a confrontational situation against an opponent. That’s what changes the picture,” Barton explained.

Clarity is important.

The amendment aims to prevent players from hiding insults or other abuse — including discriminatory remarks — behind their hand, arm or jersey.

In Almirón’s case, Barton believed the conditions were met.

“In that match, it was clear that it had occurred during a confrontational situation in which the players were facing off,” Barton explained. “Seeing it on the VAR footage was clear. It was evident, and at no point was there any doubt about the decision that had to be made.”

The incident occurred shortly before halftime, when Paraguay was leading 1-0. The red card left Paraguay with 10 players for the entire second half, but the team went on to win the match 1-0.

For Barton, the red card illustrates something he believes the public still misunderstands: VAR does not eliminate the need for the referee to interpret the rules.

“VAR isn’t there to eliminate 100% of errors,” he said. “Errors will always be part of soccer because there are many issues open to interpretation, and that’s what the referee is there for — to interpret them.”

Breaks that changed the pace of the matches

There was another major change fans protested during the World Cup — the hydration breaks.

FIFA decided that during the 2026 World Cup, there would be a three-minute break midway through each half, regardless of the temperature or stadium conditions. The referee was required to stop the match around the 22nd minute of each half.

The decision was motivated by concerns about player welfare in some of the hottest venues and a committee agreed it would be best to use the breaks universally rather than whenever the weather conditions required it to assure no teams were hampered by not getting breaks, but the debate did not go away.

In some cases, the breaks interrupted the flow of the game just as a team was starting to take control.

Barton understands that criticism, but he also doesn’t believe the break necessarily has a favorable or unfavorable effect on a team.

“Team A is attacking, attacking, attacking Team B. Obviously, it won’t be beneficial for Team A because they’re at their peak. For Team B, it will be,” he said.

The scenario can change in the second half.

“And what if, in the second half, the roles are reversed and it’s Team B that’s attacking Team A? For Team A, it’ll be beneficial. It’s very relative. I don’t think you can generalize whether it’s positive or not because it depends on the circumstances of the game.”

There’s also a difference between analyzing the break from the spectator’s perspective and doing so from the field.

As a referee, Barton found an immediate benefit.

“For us as referees, it’s beneficial because having a break to rest a bit, regain our strength and get feedback from our colleagues to see if anything needs adjusting — well, of course that’s positive,” said Barton. “In the United States, summers are extreme and it often becomes very difficult to say, ‘In this game, yes; in this game, no,’ because that undermines the consistency that the application of a rule must have.”

The stars’ last names don’t change the rule

What happens when the player who needs to be disciplined is named Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal or James Rodríguez?

In a stadium, those names carry weight. On the lineup sheet, according to Barton, they don’t.

“As a referee — contrary to what many people might think — you detach yourself from many situations, from the noise, from the pressure,” he said.

That doesn’t mean the referee is unaware of who’s on the field. According to him, it means he can’t let a player’s name influence his decision.

“On the field, there are no big names, no big teams. You see 11 players against 11 players,” Barton said.

The Salvadoran had already officiated games featuring Messi during his career in various tournaments and at the 2026 World Cup, he faced some of the most renowned soccer players on the planet.

“At no point do we think, ‘I’m not going to speak to him firmly or show him a card because it’s this player.’ No, absolutely not,” Barton stated.

The rules must apply equally to everyone.

“If you see an incident, a foul or something someone did, you make a decision regardless of who it is,” Barton said.

Barton explains the relationship in a way that makes it clear it’s not about ignoring the players’ status in the sport. It’s about understanding that, for those 90 minutes, roles are clearly defined.

“Obviously, we respect them for what they’ve achieved, for what they represent in soccer, but when it comes to applying the rules of the game, we see 11 players against 11 players — and that’s it,” he said.

Taking El Salvador to the biggest stage

Barton speaks little about himself and a lot about his country. Every assignment, he explains, ceases to be an individual endeavor.

“The higher you climb a mountain, the stronger the wind blows. The harder it is to maintain your balance,” he said.

His philosophy has changed little since he began his career.

“I haven’t achieved these things on my own. There’s a huge team behind me. … My family, CONCACAF, FIFA, the people who have always supported me,” Barton said.

The Salvadoran acknowledges that, during international competitions, he often finds that there are still people who don’t even know where El Salvador is located.

“When you get to competitions at this level, there are people who can’t even locate our country on a map,” Barton noted. “Serving as a means for others to learn about El Salvador and ensuring that representation is dignified is one of my greatest responsibilities.”

There’s a common perception among fans that FIFA assigns the matches each referee will officiate from the very beginning of the tournament.

Instead, each assignment depends on the performance shown during the previous match.

“First, you have to earn a spot in the World Cup. Then you have to earn the privilege of officiating a match. And after that, it depends entirely on how you perform in that match,” Barton said. “It’s just like the teams. No one is guaranteed to advance. Game by game, you prove whether you deserve to stay in the competition.”

After each match, there are technical sessions during which every major match decision is analyzed.

“We have debriefing sessions to review what we did well and what we need to improve,” he said. “We also work with a technical staff that conducts tactical analyses of the teams to prepare for the different scenarios a match might present.”

Although the semifinal against France and Spain holds a special place in his heart, Barton recalls other World Cup moments that will likely stay with him forever.

“The four walkouts before the matches were impressive. Hearing the World Cup anthem and walking out of the tunnel was always special,” he said.

“When the final whistle blew in the semifinal, I felt like I’d written my name into soccer history by representing my country. It was one of the most sublime moments of my career.”

Unlike many public figures, Barton decided to stay virtually off social media before and during the World Cup.

“Our minds are what we choose to feed them. If we feed them garbage, we’ll end up thinking that way,” he said.

Barton only opened official accounts after the tournament — and, according to him, not out of personal interest.

“There were too many fake profiles impersonating me,” Barton said. “I’m not swayed by flattery, just as I’m not affected by insults. … I’ve faced the most attacks in my own country, not abroad,” Barton confessed.

Even so, he insists on always responding with the same message.

“Behind the referee is a human being. There’s a father, a husband, a son,” he said. “It’s fine to criticize the work, but don’t cross the line into personal attacks.”

Paramount Chairman David Ellison believes the tug-of-war over his proposed $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery comes down to a single question: whether he can be trusted to control CNN.

“I believe this fight is not really about market share,” Ellison wrote in a Tuesday op-ed in the New York Times, noting that regulators around the world, including the U.S. Justice Department, have approved the deal that has been temporarily blocked by an antitrust lawsuit brought by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and his coalition of Democrat state attorneys general.

“I believe a plainer worry sits beneath the briefs and the news releases … The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner’s CNN,” Ellison wrote.

The rare opinion piece serves as Ellison’s acknowledgment that his family’s close association with President Trump has sullied his standing in Hollywood and beyond.

Shakeups at CBS News, which is part of Paramount, the departure of CBS late night host Stephen Colbert, and a visible presidential lobbying effort — including hosting a dinner for Trump in Washington in late April and attending Trump’s birthday extravaganza in June with UFC fights on the White House lawn — have come with a cost.

More than 5,000 entertainment industry workers, including such high-profile stars as Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston and Mark Ruffalo, signed an open letter early this year, calling on Bonta to try to block the merger.

Bonta and the other state attorneys general sued, saying the merger of two of the major film studios would give Paramount-Warner Bros. more than 25% of the wide-release theatrical film market. Their lawsuit also alleged the combined company would own too many cable TV channels — more than 50, including CNN, TBS, HGTV and Comedy Central.

Many in Hollywood fear that the consolidation of two historic studios will bring thousands of layoffs and contribute to a bleaker employment picture. Ellison’s Skydance Media’s takeover of Paramount a year ago resulted in the loss of 2,000 jobs.

Some have opposed the Warner Bros. deal, saying one family shouldn’t be allowed to control two significant news operations: CBS News and CNN, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

“There has been speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions,” Ellison wrote.

“Unfortunately, I can’t give anyone a view into my heart and mind, but I can share this: I have regularly voted for candidates of both parties; I hold some views that would be called conservative and others that would be called liberal, just like most Americans,” Ellison said. “And when it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth.”

“Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle,” he said. “That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence. Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve — not to any party or cause.”

“These were founding principles for both CNN and CBS News, for legends like Ted Turner and Edward R. Murrow, and it is exactly that kind of independence that has always fueled the greatness of “60 Minutes,” Ellison wrote.

Fired “60 Minutes” correspondents, including Cecilia Vega, have complained that since Bari Weiss became editor-in-chief of CBS News last fall, journalists have been asked to tilt the presentation of controversial news events, including protests to Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions earlier this year in Minnesota, which led to the deaths of two Americans.

Paramount has pushed back saying the plaintiff states have defined markets that fail to factor in the rise of technology companies, including Netflix, Google’s YouTube and Amazon Studios, which also attract significant swaths of viewership.

The Writers Guild of America has separately sued to block the merger, saying the deal would lead to less opportunities and lower pay for writers struggling to stay in the industry.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, who is overseeing the high-profile case, issued a temporary restraining order to block the merger from finalizing while the two sides hash out the evidence. Late last month, Paramount agreed to delay the merger until after a trial — or until June 1, whichever date comes first.

In court documents filed Friday, Bonta and his coalition of 11 other Democratic attorneys general proposed having a two- to three-week trial in April to weigh the evidence.

Ellison’s Paramount pushed back, saying the media company would like to start the courtroom action on Nov. 4.

Now the judge must schedule the court date.

“The states claim this deal will give one company too much influence over theatrical releases and cable operators, while the W.G.A. argues that our combined market power will hurt writers,” Ellison said in the opinion piece. “Both suits imagine a Hollywood that no longer exists — an industry ruled by a handful of legacy studios.”

The five-star KOIA All-Suite Wellbeing Resort on Kos, Greece, is a world away from the party scene – and rooms start from £220 a night

Like countless Brits, my initial encounter with the Greek island came via an 18-30 holiday. I recall cheap cocktails, sticky dancefloors and a hotel where staff flat-out refused to hand out more than one deflated pillow per guest. It was enjoyable in that uniquely carefree way only your early twenties can deliver, but I’d mentally categorised Kos with the other party islands I’d ticked off and left behind.

So when the invitation arrived to return this summer, I’ll confess my expectations were modest. I certainly wasn’t anticipating discovering one of the most peaceful hotels I’ve ever stayed in.

Situated high above the Aegean Sea, KOIA All-Suite Wellbeing Resort feels like it exists on an entirely separate island. There’s no thumping music poolside, no inflatable flamingoes floating about and definitely no wristbands.

Instead, it offered supreme luxury through serene infinity pools, premium dining and wellness experiences – all at a sensible price point, reports OK!.

Stay in style

Launched in 2023, the five-star adults-only sanctuary boasts just 51 suites, meaning it never feels overcrowded, even at full capacity. Built into the hillside overlooking Agios Fokas, roughly a 12-minute drive from Kos Town, the resort draws inspiration from the ancient wisdom of Hippocrates, who was born on the island, with wellbeing woven into every aspect.

Suites span from pared-back Cave Suites to more generous Sea View Suites featuring private infinity pools or outdoor whirlpools, all styled in soothing neutral shades, natural stone and timber. The appeal of the hotel lies in the fact that every suite provides full or partial vistas across the Aegean, meaning there’s genuinely no disappointing room.

Thoughtful details such as a pillow menu, rainfall showers, smart-controlled blinds and room-service dining choices really reinforce the sense of ‘private luxury’. In terms of facilities, there are two pools – one indoors within the spa and a main pool – plus a gym.

The food

Despite there being just one restaurant, Thyme, I never found myself craving additional dining choices, which speaks volumes about how exceptional the food was. For breakfast, a generous buffet featuring local fruit, pastries and made-to-order dishes can be savoured with uninterrupted sea vistas.

Come evening, Thyme becomes an elegant à la carte restaurant showcasing Mediterranean cuisine with seasonal ingredients, fresh seafood and regional wines. I’m not exaggerating when I say I requested the shrimp linguine four times.

Lunch is also available there, but with a completely different menu from evenings, offering plenty of variety through fancy sandwiches and grilled options. Throughout the day, my book and I set up camp at the pool bar for iced coffees between dips, before relocating to the sophisticated Elixir Bar at sunset, where cocktails are served with a backdrop of one of the finest views on the island.

What’s on

If you need more than a pool and a good book to keep you occupied, the carefully curated range of activities on offer are well worth booking in advance. From open-air morning yoga overlooking the glittering sea to a traditional baking class with Thyme’s head chef, there’s plenty to keep you busy.

I headed to the hotel’s Ydor Spa (on the one overcast day we had) and relished the chance to privately hire the Himalayan salt room and sauna cabin before treating myself to a full body massage. I’d also highly recommend the floating breakfast experience. I’ve never consumed so much food in a single morning, and there truly is nothing more delightful than chasing your strawberries as they drift across your private pool.

Further afield

Reception can point you towards hiking trails leading to the medieval ruins of Palio Pyli or the summit of Mount Díkaios, where breathtaking sunset views from the island’s highest peak make the climb thoroughly worthwhile. Kos Town offers an entirely different tempo, boasting Roman landmarks such as the beautifully preserved Odeon of Kos and Casa Romana, alongside some superb tavernas to dine at. If you have a hire car, venture out to the island’s thermal springs, located at the northern tip of the island at Therma Beach, where the seawater bubbles.

Why I’ll be returning

It’s uncommon to experience a genuine sense of magic from a hotel, yet that’s precisely what I encountered here. A tranquil retreat, ideal for those seeking respite from the hustle and bustle.

Perhaps the greatest revelation was discovering it on an island I’d previously dismissed as a party destination. Its intimate size lends itself to a wonderfully personal level of service, and within just a few days, the staff already knew my preferred morning coffee and favourite sunbed spot. Worth noting too – from August 2026, guests can also look forward to a brand-new Greek restaurant, a second pool and newly added suites.

Book it

A Junior Suite with Sea View and Hot Tub starts from £220 per night, and a Sea View Suite with Private Pool starts from £256 with breakfast included. Book via koiaresort.com to make the most of offers like complimentary airport transfers. Half board and full board dining also available. Flights to Kos from major UK airports operate daily May-October with return pricing from around £60.

If you are over the age of, say, 14, you might not be familiar with daughter-father duo Salish and Jordan Matter. But if you are a parent of a Gen Alpha kid, it can feel like you hear about nothing but Salish and Jordan Matter. Their YouTube videos — a high-octane mix of zany challenges, games and hijinks — are admittedly hard to resist, which may be why they rake in millions of views as soon as they blast into the social media universe.

Sixteen-year-old Salish was in elementary school when she started appearing in her father’s YouTube videos and the channel is like a time capsule of her childhood — or, well, the most public, heavily produced version of it. There’s the day Salish turned her house into a waterpark (73 million views) or the night she had a secret sleepover in a mall (31 million views) or the time she survived 100 babysitters in 24 hours (61 million views). “A blessing and a curse for me is that we’ve documented it all,” says Jordan, whose background is in photography. “I have these beautiful videos of her when she was 10. I was just watching them 30 minutes ago and was like, oh wow, it feels like yesterday.”

Now their creator journey is taking a new turn. Salish and Jordan recently signed a deal with Netflix to develop, produce and star in original projects — it’s the largest such creator partnership for the streaming giant. Their show, “Salish & Jordan Matter,” reached Netflix’s Top 10 this month. Beyond the screen, the duo co-founded the popular teen skincare brand Sincerely Yours. (The launch of one glossy lip balm brought 2,000 fans to the Santa Monica Pier earlier this summer.)

It’s been a wild ride for the pair, but despite their snowballing fame, they swear they’re like any other dad and daughter who bicker, joke around and simply enjoy each other’s company.

“I think we’re pretty chill, right?” Jordan says.

“Yeah, we’re pretty chill,” Salish agrees.

Here they share what they’d do together on a Sunday Funday around their South Bay home, noting that a perfect day would involve the whole family, including mom Lauren Matter and Salish’s 20-year-old brother, Hudson Matter.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

10 a.m.: Wake up and debate the day’s options

Jordan: Salish, what time would you actually wake up?

Salish: Probably like 10.

Jordan: OK, so we’re sleeping in until 10. Then why don’t we go get breakfast? We’ll go to Ocean Diner in Hermosa Beach. We’ll both get huevos rancheros and fresh orange juice. And then I would love to go get coffee at Boy and the Bear in Redondo Beach.

Salish: Or Two Guns!

Jordan: No, I prefer Boy and the Bear.

Salish: Oh, I prefer Two Guns.

Jordan: Well, if we go to Two Guns, Salish would get the avocado toast.

Salish: No, the chai! It’s so good!

Jordan: OK, well, if Salish has an opinion, that’s what we’re doing. But later today, one thing I would love is a bike ride on the beach. Are you still down?

Salish: [High-pitched voice] Yeah.

Jordan: Did you hear that voice?! That tone is like, “Yeah, but not for much longer.”

Salish: [Laughs] No, I like doing bike rides with you! It’s just that I don’t know how much of a “biker” I am.

Jordan: You’re not one.

Salish: I’m not.

Jordan: But you have an electric bike! You just have to go like [makes e-bike revving motion] vvrrrrrruurr.

11:15 a.m.: Shopping and soup dumplings

Jordan: The next thing we’re going to do is …

Salish: Go to the mall! I like picking out new outfits for him because every day he just wears a black T-shirt.

Jordan: OK, and if we’re going to go to Del Amo mall, we’ll have lunch at …

Salish: Oh, Din Tai Fung.

Jordan: Which means we’ll have to put our name on the waiting list.

Salish: It’s like a two-hour wait.

Jordan: So we’ll put our name down right after breakfast. And then we’ll shop for clothes before our reservation.

Salish: I’ll go to Aritzia and probably Garage. And then you’ll go to Express and Levi’s. I go to PacSun a lot too but normally I don’t find anything there. I always wear sweats and hoodies — literally just sweats and hoodies.

Jordan: Also tank tops. Salish doesn’t like to repeat outfits on videos, so she does need at least one new outfit a week.

And I’ll just follow her around. I’ll be like, ‘Oh, that looks good.’ And she’ll be like, ‘No, it doesn’t.’ And I’ll be like, ‘No, it looks really good.’ And she’ll be like, ‘You’re just saying that.’ And then she’ll ask, ‘Which color?’ I’ll say the blue, and then she’ll get the pink. And I’m like, ‘I’m glad I could be helpful.’ So that’s how shopping with Salish goes. Then finally, there’s Din Tai Fung.

3 p.m.: An afternoon by the ocean

Jordan: Then we would leave the mall because I’m not gonna be there all day. We’re gonna go paddleboarding in Long Beach, in the Naples Canals area. We love anything with water, right? We love vacationing in Lake Tahoe, swimming and boating.

Then we would probably go for a bike ride along the Strand. I would vote for pulling over and having dinner. There’s a really good taco place right near the Hermosa Beach Pier called Palmilla Cocina Y Tequila.

Salish: [Winces slightly] I’m not gonna lie. I don’t really like tacos.

Jordan: Salish is an absolutely impossible eater. All she eats is Chipotle. She’s a vegetarian but she’s a picky vegetarian, so that combo makes it almost impossible for her to find food anywhere. But she’d get the black beans and rice and tortillas and cheese and mix it all together.

Salish: Yeah.

Jordan: See, I basically know everything about you.

Salish: And you would get the chicken!

Jordan: Yes.

Salish: I knew it. But you have to make sure it’s white meat.

Jordan: White meat chicken, mole, enchiladas — yum!

8 p.m.: Family hang time

Jordan: Now if there’s a good horror or suspense movie out, I might convince Salish to go. But that would be a tough sell. So maybe we’ll go back home. We just got a pool, so that’s exciting. And late nights in the pool has become a thing. We might play ping pong or a board game.

Salish: Then my brother and I would probably just chill and talk in one of our rooms. He doesn’t live here so we try to talk as much as we can while he’s home.

Jordan: Our family isn’t looking for big things to have fun — just time together. We just talk and hang out. With Salish, we talk about work but I’m also super interested in what her everyday life is like. You know, from the time she was young, I feel like I treated her like an adult in a way and we’ve always had real conversations. That’s made it easier as she’s grown up. It feels comfortable having these types of conversations.

Salish: Also, I’m a great kid, so like …

Jordan: Of course, of course. You are such a great kid. But you were a spitfire when you were little, I’ll say!

Salish: [Laughs]

Jordan: It’s a joy. It’s a joy to be with her every day.

Earnings Call Insights: Exponent, Inc. (EXPO) Q2 2026

Management View

• CEO Catherine Corrigan said the quarter reflected broad demand across proactive and reactive work, stating: “Exponent delivered another strong quarter with double-digit growth in revenues and earnings, reflecting the continued demand for our

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I am not someone who regularly goes out on a weekday.

But when I heard just how ideal the viewing conditions will be for the upcoming Perseid meteor shower, I texted multiple friends, inviting them on a late-night adventure into the woods. That’s exactly my kind of party.

The Perseid meteor shower, which can produce up to 100 meteors an hour in its most active period, is expected to peak from the evening of Aug. 12 into the early morning of Aug. 13. Last year during the shower’s peak, the moon was 84% full.

That’s part of what makes this year special. The night sky will be at its darkest during the Perseids peak because we’ll have the new moon, the lunar phase when our moon’s illuminated side faces the sun.

In this edition of The Wild, our weekly outdoors newsletter, I will explain not only where near L.A. you can drive, hike or camp for the best viewing of this meteor shower, but also, thanks to a conversation with an astrophotography expert, how you can get better photos regardless of whether you’re using your cellphone or dedicated camera.

First, though, let’s talk about what exactly a meteor shower is and why they occur.

🌑 Tips for viewing the Perseid meteor shower 🌃

I spoke to Bruce Betts, chief scientist at the Pasadena-based Planetary Society, a member-financed group focused on advancing space science.

Betts explained that Earth gets hit every night by an estimated 100 tons of material, equivalent to about 13 Randy’s Donuts signs blasting into the planet (which is a fun visual). This means there are meteors every night, around 10 an hour in a place with no light pollution.

A meteor shower occurs when Earth is moving through a debris field left by a comet. But nothing hitting Earth is thankfully as large as a 25-foot-high fiberglass doughnut.

“It’s mostly small-sized stuff — sand-sized, pebble-sized, dust-sized,” Betts said. “It’s going to burn up hundreds of thousands of feet up in the atmosphere. When you see it fizzle out, it’s way up there typically.”

I cannot be the only person who, learning this information, felt surprised that tiny specks of space dust can produce such dazzling experiences for us earthlings. But these particles are moving incredibly fast — tens of thousands of miles per hour — and as they move through our atmosphere, they’re heating up and vaporizing.

In the case of the Perseid meteor shower, you’re watching debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it neared perihelion, its closest approach to the sun.

Earth orbits through that debris field every August. The Perseid meteor shower is named as such because as you’re watching, it appears as if the meteors are emanating from a point in the constellation of Perseus called the radiant point.

🌃 Getting the best Perseid-viewing experience 💫

To see the most meteors during the Perseids, you have to get to a point where you’re looking through less atmosphere, which around L.A. includes smog, smoke, clouds and, of course, light.

“The real problem is light pollution,” Betts said. “And that is, lights on the surface that are then reflecting off particles and stuff, a technical term, in the atmosphere. If you can get above that stuff, you start seeing better.”

Betts compared it to being in a bright room where there’s a dim light on. You won’t notice the dim light until you turn the rest of the lights off, and suddenly, that dim light is the brightest thing in the room.

During the Perseids peak, you don’t have to escape the light pollution of L.A. to see meteors. From outside your home, you will probably still see the largest blasts of light between 9 and 11 p.m. This is best for anyone who must be at their workplace at 8 a.m. for a meeting that could have been an email.

For the rest of us, let’s dive into where the best spots near L.A. are.

🏔️ Where to view the Perseids near L.A. 🌠

Below you’ll find my recommendations for spots that should provide good opportunities for viewing the Perseids. Please take good care when driving mountain or unfamiliar roads, and make sure someone outside your party knows where you’re headed and when you’ll be back. A meteor shower is still viewable when stranded with a flat tire, but far less fun!

• Mt. Wilson Observatory: Located about an hour northeast of downtown L.A. in the San Gabriel Mountains, the observatory has a large paved parking lot at about 5,650 feet elevation that features nice views of the surrounding area. The only caveat is that the main gate usually closes at 5 p.m. in the summer, so you’ll need to park inside before then.
• The Vetter Mountain Lookout: The lookout, at about 5,900 feet elevation, is reachable via a 5-mile round-trip hike and offers stunning panoramic views of the San Gabriel Mountains. The trailhead is about an hour drive northeast of downtown.
• Chilao Campground: Also about an hour drive from downtown, this large first-come, first-served campground sits at 5,300 feet and offers great views of the night sky. Nearby Mt. Hillyer, which can be reached via a 6.4-mile round-trip hike from near the Chilao Visitor Center, could also be a nice spot to observe the meteor shower.
• Crystal Lake Recreation Area and Campground: Crystal Lake is a 120-site first-come, first-served campground north of Azusa (about 1½- to two-hour drive northeast from downtown). At 5,539-feet elevation, it’s a great spot to camp and take in the shooting stars.
• Mt. Pacifico Campground: This is a rustic 10-site campground that sits at 7,100-feet elevation and is deep in the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s about a 1½-hour drive from downtown L.A. and involves taking narrow mountain roads. High-clearance vehicles are required to make the final mile into the campground.
• Musch Trail Camp: Musch Trail Camp is a small but charming campground in the Santa Monica Mountains. Located in Topanga State Park, it has picnic tables and a small restroom with flush toilets and sinks. It’s around a 45-minute drive mostly west from downtown.
• Leo Carrillo State Park: Along with its hiking trails and campground, the park in Malibu features 1.5 miles of beach, where you can watch the sunset before the sky darkens enough to see the meteor shower.
• Red Rock Canyon State Park: A two-hour drive from downtown L.A., this park has colorful desert cliffs and a 50-site campground with great views of the night sky.
• Joshua Tree National Park: I mean, duh.
• McGill Campground/Chula Vista Walk-In Campground: A two-hour drive from L.A., either of these campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest will provide you with a memorable experience, as the area is known for its stargazing. McGill is mostly by reservation while Chula Vista is a walk-in spot with first-come, first-served sites. If not prepared to camp, you can also watch nearby from the Mt. Pinos parking lot, but it’ll likely be quite crowded during the Perseids, as it is the closest darkest spot to L.A.

Or, you could try a spot where you can safely and legally drive and/or hike into that you recall being fairly dark at night. There are online tools that can help you find your own spot, including light pollution maps.

Regardless of where you go, please remember to practice the Leave No Trace principles, including packing out any trash you bring, not taking anything from the forest that you didn’t bring and not playing loud music, as it not only bothers hikers but also the animals who live in our natural areas.

📸 How to photograph the Perseid meteor shower 🤩

Many of us have tried and failed to take photos of the night sky. I spoke to accomplished astrophotographer Jeremy Evans, a delegate for Dark Sky International who affirmed that it’s no easy task to capture the beauty of celestial bodies.

“Carl Sagan said astronomy can be a humbling and character-building experience because it is a little overwhelming to look up at that vastness of the sky and either explore it, photograph it [or] study it, [regardless of] whether through a telescope, camera or naked eye,” Evans said.

Here’s what Evans, who has photographed the Perseids for the past 20 years, recommends (after you’ve found the darkest area possible to view the shower).

1. Point your camera to the southwest

Perseus, the constellation that the upcoming meteor shower is named after, will rise in the northeast between 9 and 10 p.m., depending on your latitude.

Photographing a meteor shower can feel like a game of Whac-A-Mole, Evans said. Instead of trying to chase meteors across the sky all night, set your camera to face the southwest for the Perseids.

“Most of the [Perseids] meteors, based on my experience, fly from northeast to southwest, so I like to have my camera pointing toward the southwest, and catch those meteors flying overhead and into my frame,” Evans said. “The good thing about that is, when they start burning up and giving you that trail of ionized gases, they’re usually flying over the southwest at that point. You can point your camera to the northeast, but you might not get the fire balls and the tails.”

2. Adjust your camera’s settings

• If using a dedicated camera (as opposed to a phone camera), turn off image stabilization. Otherwise, you might be plagued with blurry images all night.
• Choose a wide lens. Evans generally recommends using a wide lens with a focal length between 14 and 24 mm. “You can use a fish eye,” Evans said. “However, a fish eye will show most of the night sky, but then the meteors are going to appear a lot smaller.”
• Determine your shutter speed. Some astrophotographers use the “500 rule,” an equation that helps them figure out the ideal shutter speed. It’s essentially dividing your camera lens’ focal length into 500 to get your shutter speed. For Evans, that’s often 500 divided by 24, which he rounds down to equal a 20-second exposure. (If your shutter speed is too slow, the stars can come out blurry)
• Turn off the flash.
• Turn off your camera’s auto focus. You will need to manually adjust your lens, as your camera most likely won’t be able to automatically focus on the starry sky. (More on that below.)
• Turn on shutter delay. If you don’t have an external remote, turn on the setting that allows for a multi-second delay after you press the button. This allows your camera to stabilize after you press the shutter. Wiggling camera = bad pics.

3. Set up your tripod.

Evans said a tripod is arguably your most important piece of equipment, and it’s worth investing in if you’re wanting to regularly practice astrophotography. Cheap tripods are often flimsy and can fall over and wiggle from a light breeze.

That said, I’ve taken good images of the stars by propping my DSLR up using soup cans on a metal bear box while out camping. I’ve also used boulders, including during a recent trip to capture the aurora. Really, whatever you’re using just needs to be as solid and unmoving as your least favorite relative’s political beliefs.

4. Use this trick to focus your camera.

Evans recommends pointing your camera at a bright object at least a quarter mile away, like a street light or other fixed object. You could also use a bright star or, if setting up early enough, Venus. Regardless, use this distant object to manually focus your lens.

If your DSLR has a “Live View” option, you can magnify the bright object using that feature, making it even easier to focus on the object. When you zoom back out, the object should be a fine point of light.

“And then be careful not to bump your lens,” Evans said.

5. Pack enough battery power.

Evans recommends bringing at least two batteries for your DSLR if you don’t own an external power source for your camera.

If your battery is more than 2 years old, it’s likely lost a significant amount of its capacity, Evans said. In that case, you’ll want to ideally pack a third battery, depending on how long you plan to stay out.

“When you’re taking a series of photographs in the day, you’re using a shutter speed of 1/500 of a second on average, and then when you go from 1/500 of a second to keeping that shutter open for 20 seconds, you’re using a lot more power,” Evans said, meaning a battery that usually lasts for several days might only provide enough battery to shoot night photography for, at most, a few hours.

🌠🌑🌃

Betts and Evans told me that they hope that people going out to view the Perseids results in more people not only enjoying the night sky but also wanting to protect it, namely from light pollution. I hope so too.

And I hope wherever you go, you witness the beauty of shooting stars burning in the night sky. It’ll be arguably the most fun you can have on a Wednesday night in August.

3 things to do

1. Wander the wetlands in Seal Beach
The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust will host a guided nature walk from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday in Seal Beach. Guests will learn about the Los Cerritos Wetlands, looking for herons and other birds who frequent the area. Close-toed shoes are required. Register at eventbrite.com.

2. Care for oaks near Calabasas
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in Topanga State Park to tend to fire-damaged oak trees. Participants will water, weed and mulch oak trees, and plant acorns to replace trees that have died. Attendees should wear durable shoes and bring drinking water. Register at eventbrite.com.

3. Cycle along Slauson in South L.A.
T.R.U.S.T. South LA, People for Mobility Justice and Metro will host a community bike ride along the Slauson rail-to-rail bike path from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. The group will meet in front of Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park. At registration, guests can request a voucher for a Metro bike if unable to bring their own. Register at docs.google.com.

The must-read

As of Monday, Jackie, the beloved Big Bear eagle, appears to be improving. In mid-July, Jackie was rescued by L.A. County’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue team and transported to Ojai Raptor Center for emergency care. Fans of Jackie, one half of the avian power couple whom thousands of people regularly view via live webcams near their nest, have since anxiously waited for news. “She is eating on her own, her energy and alertness have noticeably improved, and she has become much more feisty during feedings,” the Ojai Raptor Center posted on social media.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Cool new feature alert! Times digital subscribers can now save trails highlighted in our hiking guides directly to their profiles on latimes.com. This allows subscribers to create their own curated lists of not only hiking trails but also restaurants, music venues and more. For example, you could save whale-watching sites, trails and beaches you wanted to check out, and then use the map function to see which spots are close to each other. And if you’re feeling especially spunky, you could throw some restaurants into the mix. I am personally excited to play around with this new feature because the No. 1 thing I like to do after a hike is eat, and our food writers are always finding great spots. Have fun out there!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stands by her comments about transgender athletes competing: She says she just ‘wants to protect’ women’s sports.

Despite her views that were expressed in an ESPN article published Tuesday, Cunningham insisted the next day that she doesn’t have anything against the transgender community.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said in the article. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

The article became fodder for questions Wednesday before the Fever’s 123-88 victory against the Connecticut Sun.

“I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham told reporters. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. And so I’ll stand on what I said, and I’ll always believe that.”

She reiterated that her feelings on the matter don’t stem from hatred.

“I think there is room for absolutely everyone here, and I think there is room to love everyone,” Cunningham said. “I truly think when you get people in the same room and you have conversations, you actually have a lot in common with a lot of people. And so I’m there to love.

“But I’m also there to love biological women, and I think that there are rights that need to be protected. And, like I said, I’m gonna stand true to that. I’ll never falter in my beliefs in that. But I have never once said that I hated the trans community. Like I said, I think there’s space for everyone.”

Cunningham appeared to triple down on her comments Thursday morning on Instagram, writing simply, “I said what I said.”

The topic of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports has become a polarizing issue in recent years. In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” that looked to ensure that entities receiving federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the administration’s view that a person’s sex is the gender they were assigned at birth.

Last month, the Supreme Court upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho that banned transgender athletes from competing on girls’ sports teams. Days later, two transgender girls who were the first to challenge Trump’s executive order dropped their lawsuit in New Hampshire.

“Men should not be playing in women’s sports. It’s completely ludicrous that anyone could support that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “It’s even more ludicrous that you do have [Sophie] Cunningham — a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right — coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn’t play in women’s sports, we want to protect women and girls, and the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing.”

The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but does not specifically exclude transgender women. When reached for comment, a WNBA representative referred The Times to a statement released by the Fever on Wednesday.

“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” the team said. “We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”

Cunningham has been called “MAGA Barbie” since her college days at Missouri, according to Complex, because some of the people she follows and engagement with conservatives on social media.

In 2022, when Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, Cunningham reposted a since-deleted tweet stating that “female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this.”

Soon after, Cunningham posted a statement saying that she stands “with all people, especially my fellow athletes.”

“I do not judge, but support all races, religions, sexual preferences and gender equity,” she wrote. “We all have a place in this world to compete and I hope we are able to grant everyone that opportunity fairly.”

Even with a seeming endorsement from the White House and a nickname that’s followed her, Cunningham says her political views are “very much in the middle.”

“I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides,” she said in the ESPN article. “And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”

On Wednesday, Cunningham went into more detail, telling reporters “I’m not a very political person.”

“But I do have beliefs, I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those and be true to who I am,” she added. “… And so when it comes to just protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that.

“That’s why you have Title IX. That’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports. If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport.”

Guillem Balague, Spanish journalist:

Spain – the best team.

France – the best player and the most frightening attack.

Argentina – the best idea: doing more with less than anyone else.

England – two world-class players on form.

All four semi-finalists have what is needed to win the tournament.

If Spain take the ball off France and stop their counters – plus if they are more efficient than they have been – they have a very good chance of making it to the final.

But they have to play the perfect game, with the perfect (or a very good) Lamine Yamal.

Argentina will try to make the game against England uneventful, and then wait for a moment of brilliance from Lionel Messi or Julian Alvarez. But they have been playing with fire.

England are still trying to find their identity but they have a huge amount of personality and two world-class stars.

A final of Spain v England would be incredible. And in a way a win-win for me, but I would like England to win a World Cup soon. This could be the summer.

Spanish fans in the United States:

Lionel: France will be tough but I think we can beat them and, if we do, we have a strong chance. We are strong in attack and strong in defence. The only downside is Pedri hasn’t played at this top level yet.

Jack: Argentina are looking strong but England can’t be ruled out. They have Harry Kane, who is one of the most difficult strikers in the world.

Michel: Spain will win the tournament, I have no doubt. No one is giving us a chance against France but we will control the match and beat them. The winners of that game will win the tournament.

Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network has stepped up its defense of “The View” amid its battle with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who has targeted the network’s programming and its hiring policies.

At issue is whether “The View” still qualifies for an exception to FCC rules that require broadcasters to provide equal air time for opponents of various political candidates.

Carr has called the daytime talk show “overtly political.”

Late Monday, ABC filed documents with the FCC to support its request for a declaratory ruling that “The View” is indeed a bona fide news interview program entitled to the equal-time rule exemption that covers newscasts, political debates and documentaries.

The show was granted the exception in 2002.

“Today, the program in the Commission’s sights is The View,” ABC said in this week’s filing. “The principle in the balance is far larger: whether a federal regulator may override a broadcaster’s editorial judgment about whom to interview — a judgment the Constitution commits to broadcasters and their audiences, not to the state.”

Since the FCC opened its inquiry in late May, the agency has received more than 77,000 public comments — most in support of the long-running daytime talk show.

“While ABC insists that ‘The View’ is a ‘bona fide news program’ under the law, ABC should focus on complying with its public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about them,” an FCC spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Times.

Separately, the FCC also took the unusual step of calling in the licenses of eight Disney-owned television stations for early review. The move — widely interpreted as an effort to chill the Disney network’s speech — came a day after President Trump demanded that ABC fire its late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump.

Losing the licenses for its stations, including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles, would be a significant blow to the Disney-owned network.

Some conservatives, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have suggested the FCC actions are an overreach while others have encouraged the agency to come down hard on Disney.

“The Commission can take this opportunity to address multiple pending complaints against ABC related to its programming,” conservative lawyer Daniel Suhr, head of the Center for American Rights, wrote in his 65-page petition in support of revoking Disney’s licenses.

“The View,” which features Trump critics Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar and Ana Navarro, helps make a case that Disney is running a partisan network, Suhr alleged in his documents.

“Democrats are featured on The View at an insanely high ratio compared to Republicans,” Suhr wrote, noting that at least a third of the show’s 348 guests in 2025 were liberals — including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Meanwhile, two prominent conservatives, former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and actor Cheryl Hines, the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., were featured last year.

Since Carr opened the review, the ABC show has avoided conversations with political candidates in competitive races leading up to this year’s pivotal midterm elections.

The show has continued its tradition of hosting politicians, though, including a highly rated interview last month with a Carr ally — Vice President JD Vance.

ABC has asked the FCC for a declaratory ruling on the status of “The View.” The network maintains that “The View” books politicians based on newsworthiness and not partisanship.

The network has run on-air spots urging its viewers to support the program by filing comments with the FCC.

“Big fan of the show. Hope my vote counts,” wrote one viewer, Wilson Vélez, in a comment filed with the FCC on Monday.

Another viewer, Patricia Pomeroy, wrote: “Freedom of speech, Freedom of speech, Freedom of speech.”

ABC’s filing noted that the program has kept the same format and focus on topical news events since its inception.

“What has changed is not the program but the political climate around it,” ABC said in the petition.

Disney’s filing, signed by attorney Paul Clement, commended the “robust response” from the public, saying the outpouring “represents laudable civic engagement of the kind the Commission should welcome given its statutory obligation to make decisions based on the public interest.”

The Autry’s current exhibition, “Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles” is an excellent show that takes a deep regional dive pegged to its 250th American anniversary programming. Of all the pieces, See Lee’s meticulously stitched “Hmong Story Cloth” (circa 1980) is a poignant chronicle of making the journey to an unknown future in the United States. Utilizing the traditional paj ntaub embroidery format, the textile documents Lee’s family fleeing war-torn Laos and resettling in Long Beach during the 1970s. The narrative unfolds in sequential sections depicting military violence at a chaotic crossing of the Mekong River; lower panels remember Thai refugee camps, a rescue airplane and a Greyhound bus. This visual testimony shares striking cross-currents with Latin American arpilleras and paños Chicanos, linking disparate diasporic traditions through the shared language of quietly political, deeply personal needlework — in this case, preserving a crucial chapter of Southeast Asian migration to Southern California.

🗓️ On view through Jan. 31, 2027

Moscow, Russia – Russia faces a severe fuel deficit as Ukrainian drone strikes knock out a significant portion of its refining capacity.

With continuing war in Ukraine and agricultural harvesting under way, the government is scrambling to re-route supplies, maintain price caps and enforce export bans to prevent further domestic shortages.

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Long lines at petrol stations are now a common sight throughout the country, including in the prosperous capital Moscow.

People wait for hours to fill up their cars. In some places, the pumps are completely dry.

There is a sense of patience but also mounting anxiety in the air.

“I’m deeply frightened by the uncertainty and the lack of understanding where the situation is heading,” a woman named Irina, waiting to fill up her car in Moscow, told Al Jazeera.

Igor, another Moscow resident, said: “I think things can get out of control if the crisis causes major industries to shut down.”

Both interviewees requested to withhold their surnames.

Analysts predict that increased fuel prices will mean higher transportation costs followed by significant price hikes for goods and services.

Stanislav Mitrakhovich, an expert at the National Energy Security Fund at the Russian Financial University, said the crisis is “deep, yet for a long time, Russian authorities were unwilling to acknowledge it”.

He added that the Russian response has led to “greater public distrust” of authorities and, consequently, triggered panic buying.

“Indirect evidence indicates that Ukrainian drone attacks have disabled about a quarter of Russia’s oil refining capacity,” he told Al Jazeera. “Seasonal demand has also contributed to the problem. The crisis has led to rising fuel prices and local shortages, as some regions simply lack oil refineries.”

The situation is “even worse” in regions close to the combat zone, he said. “Measures to restrict and ration fuel sales have long been in place there.”

To tackle the problem, Russia has imposed fuel rationing. Sales are often limited to about 20-30 litres (about 5-8 US gallons) per vehicle, and drivers must pump fuel strictly into vehicle tanks. Filling jerry cans is largely prohibited.

Earlier, the government banned petrol and jet fuel exports. Officials are now weighing a ban on diesel exports, too.

Authorities have loosened fuel-quality regulations, temporarily allowing lower-grade fuel for the domestic market.

In Russia-controlled Crimea, a state of emergency has been declared.

As the approaching agricultural harvesting season relies on a steady stream of diesel, authorities are prioritising farming allocations to prevent a hit to food security.

To offset the domestic shortfall, Moscow has sought fuel imports from neighbouring countries, such as Belarus, as well as Asian markets. Moscow has shipped in 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of petrol from India, according to industry sources cited by the Reuters news agency. Russia reportedly plans to import 400,000 tonnes of petrol monthly from various countries.

‘I would say it is not critical’: Putin

While Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledges the crisis, he appears reluctant to end the war in Ukraine and insists the situation is under control.

“These attacks on our facilities certainly create problems, that is obvious. We are currently seeing a certain shortage, though I would say it is not critical,” he said.

“First and foremost, we have to rapidly and significantly increase production of air defence systems that are most in demand. We must also continue to improve them … Repairs at refineries must be completed more quickly.”

Ukraine is seizing its opportunity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has authorised a 40-day military and intelligence campaign, aimed at pressuring Russia into ending the war.

Mitrakhovich said the way the crisis unfolds from here depends on what’s more effective: Ukraine’s drone strikes or Russia’s air defences.

Seattle, United States – There were goals. There were jubilations and heartbreak. There were raucous crowds, confrontations and comradery. There were protests, politics and Palestinian flags. There was a missed penalty. There was joy. There was disappointment.

Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Iran in Seattle at the FIFA World Cup on Friday had it all. Iran is still in contention to qualify as one of the eight best third-place finishers, depending on Saturday’s results.

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Wild celebrations among the Egyptian fans erupted outside the stadium after the match, as the country proceeded past the World Cup group stages for the first time.

“The feeling is outstanding,” Daniel Salib, who was draped with an Egyptian flag, told Al Jazeera.

“After this game, and the game we played against New Zealand, and how we played against Belgium, we absolutely deserve it. So, I couldn’t be more proud of this country and this team.”

Egypt survived a late Iranian onslaught that saw Team Melli, as the Iran team is known, hit the woodwork and have a goal chalked off by VAR for offside.

Iran also had a penalty saved in the first half, but the entire match was action-packed, going blow-for-blow.

Iran supporter Saeed Nassef said he was disappointed with Friday’s result but hopeful that Iran would still make it through to the round of 32, all depending on the results of Sunday night’s games.

“The Iranian team did a beautiful job. They faced a lot of hardship, but we’re really happy how they played,” Nassef told Al Jazeera.

Protests

Protesters against the Iranian government had gathered outside the stadium, waving US and Israeli flags and holding up photos of Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi.

Nassef, who carried the official Iranian flag, which features the name of God, was one of several fans who told Al Jazeera they faced harassment from opposition activists.

“We’re here to support the team. We’re here to support sports… It’s not cool for people to come here and say bad things because we are here to support the players. We want some happiness,” he said.

After the match, Al Jazeera witnessed a confrontation between antigovernment activists and a supporter carrying an Iranian flag.

The protesters hurled insults at the fan, calling him a “terrorist” and saying he should leave the country. They also engaged in expletive-laden Islamophobic chants.

The fan, who identified himself by his first name only as Milad, approached a man leading the chants on a megaphone and criticising Team Melli fans. He stood inches away from the protester before police officers intervened to pull them apart.

“My issue is not political. My issue is: Players, they play for the country, they play for the people. I support the people. That’s it,” Milad said.

“Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Our people went and they tried to create joy for other people, and that’s all that matters,” he added.

But the commotion did little to overshadow the nearby festivities where Egyptians had gathered, singing and dancing at their country’s historic moment.

Electric atmosphere

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was electric throughout the match – not an empty seat, not a quiet moment.

When the first half concluded, several sets of Iranian and Egyptian fans started taking pictures together.

The players also showed support for each other. After the final whistle, several Egyptian players consoled their Iranian counterparts, who were visibly upset with the result.

Throughout the 90 minutes, spectators appeared to be alternating in their chants between “Iran, Iran” and “Misr, Misr”, Arabic for Egypt, rather than chanting over each other.

There were a few pre-Islamic revolution Iranian flags in the crowd – featuring a regal lion and sun – but they were far outnumbered by the country’s official flag.

Some people waved LGBTQ+ pride flags and rainbow paraphernalia, due to the game being designated the World Cup’s “Pride Match”. But there did not appear to be any problems in the stadium, despite the hype around the issue.

The Egypt supporters boasted their ancient heritage with pharaohs’ headdresses and outfits.

“We’re so proud to be Egyptian and so proud of our national team,” said Karim Elshabini, who was sporting a gold and black pharaoh’s headpiece and a red Egypt football top.

“It feels amazing. Everybody’s vibing really well. People are really cool. The Egyptian fans, the Iranian fans, we’re all having a really good time.”

There were numerous Palestinian flags at the match, including a couple that were prominently displayed behind the goals.

Egypt fan Bilal Ali, who brought a Palestinian flag to the stadium, told Al Jazeera he would like to keep politics out of football, but with Israeli atrocities continuing in Gaza and elsewhere, he could not remain silent.

“I feel guilty sometimes when I get to [see] the game and our people in Palestine just get bombed and killed,” Ali added.

Several Egyptian and Iranian fans shouted “Free Palestine” as they walked past Ali with his flag.

‘Minab 168’

There was more than football at the game.

Hameed, an Iranian fan who wished to be identified by his first name only, wore a shirt that said Minab 168.

The message is meant to honour the victims of the school in southern Iran that was bombed on the first day of the US-Israel war on the country.

“I just want to remind the world that the plight of these kids who were bombed, either intentionally or not intentionally, should not be forgotten,” Hameed told Al Jazeera.

“This is why we should not have wars.”

He added that there must be a credible investigation into the incident.

“Politics aside, humanity needs to survive, and the only way to do it, whether the kids are being blown up in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Iran, in Sudan, in Congo, we’ve got to protect them,” Hameed said.

Political statements, flags and protests aside, at the final whistle, the moment belonged to Egypt with a historic sporting achievement.

“Seeing your country after all these years of cheering them, all the highs and lows, finally putting in all the high, good effort and getting good results is a surreal feeling,” said Rafael Youssef, who had the colours of the Egyptian flag painted on his cheek.

“I’m very happy for them, very happy to be here with them.”

• Sandisk (SNDK) was in focus on Thursday as Citi raised its price target on the storage maker and opened up a 90-day short-term view upside catalyst following Micron’s (MU) stellar quarterly results.
• “We remain constructive on favorable NAND [supply/demand] fundamentals on durable

The first appearance by Vice President JD Vance on ABC’s “The View” delivered the most-watched edition of the talk show since November 2024.

The June 16 program averaged 3.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen data. The figure was well above the average of 2.6 million viewers for “The View” in the 2025-26 season.

Vance appeared on the liberal-leaning program to promote his new book on his decision to become a Catholic. While the co-hosts mostly questioned him on the Trump administration’s policies on immigration and race, the discussion was cordial.

The panel of co-hosts — Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin — did not ask Vance to address the program’s ongoing tension with the Federal Communications Commission.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has questioned whether “The View” should have the status of news programs, which are exempt from giving equal time to the opponents of political candidates who appear as guests.

ABC has asked the FCC to rule on the status of “The View,” which received an exemption from the rarely enforced equal time provision in 2002. ABC has maintained that “The View” books politicians based on newsworthiness and not partisanship.

The FCC is currently taking comments from the public on the matter. ABC is running on-air spots urging viewers to support the program.

“‘The View’ has welcomed your favorite guests and covered the issues you care about for nearly 30 years,” the spot says. “Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee submitted comments Monday, asserting that “The View” takes advantage of its exemption and favors Democratic candidates and permits “only rare appearances by Republican-aligned figures.”

ABC has told the FCC that “The View” has invited politicians from both sides of the aisle to appear on “The View,” including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of State Marco Rubio and entrepreneur Elon Musk. They have declined the invitation as did Vance before his appearance last week.

The letter from the GOP committees also cited the ideological leanings of the co-hosts, saying they are “not selected for their journalistic talent or excellence in commentary, but for their partisan tilt.”

Over the last two decades, “The View” has used five liberal hosts and filled one seat designated for a conservative voice. The right-leaning co-host role has had the most turnover.

“The View” has been the most-watched daytime program for the last nine years. As a live, topical program, it has remained an important media platform while the rest of the talk show genre has largely faded due to diminishing audiences.

Carr’s targeting of “The View” is part of his ongoing criticism of broadcast platforms that annoy President Trump, who has urged that TV station licenses be pulled when he’s been unhappy with coverage.

The Walt Disney Co. is rallying public support for ABC as it faces an early Federal Communications Commission review of its TV station licenses and the guest booking policy of its daytime talk show “The View.”

ABC began running spots Monday asking viewers to comment on the FCC’s recent actions that Disney sees as an effort to stifle speech seen as critical of President Trump. The president has repeatedly threatened to pull broadcast licenses of TV outlets that feature journalists and hosts he dislikes.

In April, the FCC called for an early review of the licenses for Disney’s eight broadcast TV stations, a day after Trump demanded that ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump. Carr has repeatedly threatened to use the levers of power he has to punish TV and radio stations that irritate Trump.

The licenses for the TV stations, including KABC in Los Angeles, were originally scheduled for renewal between 2028 and 2031. Calling for an early review is highly unusual, but the agency said its related to an inquiry into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies and whether they violated federal anti-discrimination rules.

The FCC has not declined to renew a TV license since the early 1980s. With court challenges, such a process can take years to enact.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has also taken aim at ABC’s daytime talk show, “The View.” He publicly questioned whether the program should have the status of news programs, which are exempt from having to give equal time to the opponents of political candidates who appear as guests.

“The View” was granted an exemption from the rarely enforced rule in 2002. ABC’s Houston station KTRK filed a petition with the FCC in May asking for a declaration that the program can maintain that status.

“The Commission’s actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly,” KTRK-TV said in the filing.

ABC has maintained that “The View” books politicians based on newsworthiness and not partisanship. The program featured Vice President JD Vance last week, where he received a cordial welcome.

ABC is airing spots which warn viewers that the FCC wants to control what viewers see on “The View.” The message opens with the voice of legendary broadcaster Barbara Walters giving her introduction to the program she founded — “I had this idea for a show — different women, with different points of view.”

Walters is followed by an announcer who says, “‘The View’ has welcomed your favorite guests and cover the issues you care about for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show.”

The spot says “the FCC is questioning our support to the community.” A QR code shows up on the screen that takes viewers directly to the FCC’s electronic comment filing system where they can submit their comments, which is regularly part of the agency’s review process.

Disney is also airing spots calling for support of its local TV stations, including L.A.’s KABC. The spots are customized for each ABC station market, emphasizing their commitment to local news coverage.

Disney did not comment on the campaign. But an executive not authorized to speak publicly about it said “ABC believes it is important for the public to know what is happening, what’s at stake, and how to engage directly in the process if they want to make their voices heard.”

Disney’s aggressive defense of its stations and “The View” are a stark contrast to its decision to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over inaccurate statements ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos made about a sexual assault civil suit the president lost in court.

ABC agreed to pay Trump $15 million in Dec. 2024 to end the legal fight — sparking an outcry among free speech advocates, who believed the network would have won the case.

ABC also caved In September, when Kimmel’s program was briefly pulled from the air after two major TV station groups refused to air it following the host’s comments about the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Disney received major blowback from the Hollywood community, where Kimmel is extremely popular. Data also showed the company experienced cancellations of its Hulu and Disney+ streaming services in protest of the move.

I come from a family of priests and devoted Catholics. Catholicism is the blood in my veins. My father was not a disciplinarian, but if you lived under his roof you went to church. Saturday evening or Sunday morning, didn’t matter, you went. My four siblings and I were not miscreants, but we drank beer and sneaked out, and I was once cited for stealing liquor. I can’t recall my father ever yelling at me for anything other than missing Mass.

My great-uncle Dan was a diocesan priest at St. Charles Borromeo in Drexel Hill, Pa. Dan was a fire-and-brimstone hard-liner. Every Thursday we’d gather as a family for a roast beef dinner at my grandmother’s house. Dan would drink Manhattans — plenty — and if someone expressed a view of God contrary to his own, he’d say, “It’s awfully hot down there.” “There” meant hell. My uncle Ed, my mother’s eldest brother, was an Augustinian. Patient, compassionate, inclusive, Ed’s God was very different from Dan’s. While discussing God, Ed would quote Michael Himes, “There is nothing we can do to make God not love us,” and the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, “Mercy, within Mercy, within Mercy.”

Sports was in my family too — basketball, specifically — and I came to view Dan and Ed as head and assistant coach, respectively. The head coach shouting harsh critiques from the sideline, the assistant coach there to put his arm around you when you made it, crestfallen and ashamed, back to the bench. I loved them both, but I aligned with Ed’s view of God. Dan passed away a decade ago. Ed has since left the priesthood and married a kind and patient woman named Kathy. Over the years, Ed’s views on God have changed drastically. We meet for dinner once a month to talk about life and faith, and it was during one of our conversations that “Task” was born.

Tom Brandis, played by the singular Mark Ruffalo, is a former priest-turned-FBI agent who has lost his faith. Everything he held as truth in his life has come crashing down in the wake of a family tragedy. Tom believes he was called by God to adopt two children, Emily and Ethan. Adopting these children has resulted in the death of his wife, Susan. Matricide. What kind of God allows that? I have struggled with my Catholic faith over the years, but nothing has perplexed me more than the idea of suffering. The poet Archibald MacLeish wrote, “If God is God, He is not good / If God is good, He is not God.” The message is clear: If God is God, the author of everything, then He created evil and suffering and therefore cannot be good.

In “Task,” I wanted to explore a crisis of faith with honesty and without easy answers, because that is exactly how I have found my own faith journey — arduous and circuitous. I believe in God, but I find that belief tested daily. Faith and religion are separable. Tom’s journey in “Task” is a journey of faith. In the fifth episode, Tom is kidnapped by the criminal Robbie Prendergast, played by the brilliant Tom Pelphrey. During a long and tense car ride to the Poconos, Robbie tells Tom that he doesn’t believe in God. Never has. God is an idea conjured to make life bearable. “There’s nothing after this life,” Robbie says. Tom doesn’t argue. His own beliefs have veered in that direction. The car pulls into a secluded, wooded area. Facing death, Tom suddenly wants to call his son, Ethan, and forgive him. Robbie doesn’t allow it. Instead, he walks Tom to the edge of the woods, tells him he’s a decent man, and sets him free. Because Robbie has his own plan: to sacrifice his life in the hopes of providing a better one for his family. It’s through Robbie’s act of mercy that Tom regains faith. He believes in goodness again.

In the final episode, Tom finds himself taking care of a young and suddenly parentless boy, Sam. Sam reminds him of his own son, Ethan. Sam wants to live with Tom. And Tom desperately wants Sam to stay with him. But Tom also recognizes that Sam would be better served in the care of a young family capable of meeting his needs. Sam shouldn’t be stuck with an old man like him. Tom lets Sam go; he believes the boy will be taken care of. That is Tom’s act of faith.

When Ed and I met for dinner last month, we talked about how his idea of God has changed over the years. He no longer sees God as a bearded white man tallying our sins and waiting to judge us in heaven. He thought God was everywhere, all the time. The love that exists between people. He thought he could feel God right then, among us at the table as we laughed. We talked about Camp Mystic. The young girls swept away. Why, God? They were there to serve You. We didn’t have any answers. We never do. But the food and wine were good, and we talked about great-uncle Dan, about how he was so different from us but how much we loved him anyway, and how, when he drank Manhattans — plenty — he could turn harsh and opinionated, but it didn’t matter because he loved God. He loved Him with his whole heart, and we thought about the unimpeachable dignity of that and what an amazing gift it would be — to believe and never doubt.

Joy Behar is trading her usual spot at “The View’s” roundtable for the spotlight in one of London’s West End theaters.

The comedian, who is one of the talk show’s longest-running hosts, is taking a temporary leave from the daytime program to take her play, “My First Ex-Husband,” overseas for the first time. The 83-year-old TV personality announced her break on Tuesday, on the podcast, “Behind the Table,” a companion program of “The View.”

“I fly to Paris this week, and then I go take the Chunnel to London after a week, and I’ll be in London a second week doing my play, ‘My First Ex-Husband,’ at the Boulevard Theatre in the West End,” Behar said on the podcast.

Behar confirmed she has already pre-taped several installments of “The Weekend View,” ahead of her absence. She will miss the next two weeks of tapings. Her last appearance on the weekday edition of the show is Thursday.

In Behar’s absence, several “View” regulars will step in. Brian Teta, the show’s producer, said on the podcast that Sheryl Underwood, Kara Swisher and Ana Navarro will make appearances in the coming weeks. Whoopi Goldberg, another one of the talk show’s staple personalities, will also be coming in on Fridays, which is her usual day off.

“I don’t think she knows yet, but I’ll let her know that she’s going to be here,” Teta joked of Goldberg’s new responsibility.

Behar’s play, “My First Ex-Husband,” first debuted off-Broadway in New York in 2025. The comedian wrote the show over the span of 12 years. The story follows a rotating cast who tell chaotic stories about past relationships. The play is set to debut in the coming weeks, according to Behar. She and Jackie Hoffman will be two American narrators for the show, while two British actresses perform the scenes.

NewsFeed

Russia provided a rare look at damage caused by a Ukrainian strike on a college in occupied Luhansk. Moscow claimed that 21 people were killed in the targeted attack, Ukraine denied the claims saying it struck an elite Russian drone command unit operating in the area.

May 22 (UPI) — The Federal Communications Commission on Friday opened public comment on a petition from the Disney-owned network ABC to declare its show The View as a “bona fide news interview program.”

Disney submitted the petition in early May on behalf of its television station KTRK-TV in Houston and its parent company ABC for the declaration in order to receive an exemption from laws requiring that non-news programming include equal time for representation of political candidates for office.

The equal time rule is part of the Communications Act of 1934, which created the FCC and regulations for the use of wire and radio, and later television, communications.

The rule is meant to ensure equal access to broadcast station facilities for all candidates for office — essentially, the same amount of air time — to prevent broadcasters from using the public airwaves to push one political candidate or party over another.

Disney and ABC’s request for an exemption to the rule, which are generally granted for news broadcasts, stems from years-long squabbling between President Donald Trump and various people who have hosted The View, which is a news and pop culture analysis program hosted by a panel of women.

“Is The View a ‘bona fide news interview program?” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a post on X announcing the public comment period.

“Under FCC case law, tv shows do not qualify as ‘bona fide news’ if their decisions are based on partisan purposes, such as an intention to advance or harm an individual’s candidacy,” Carr said.

Disney compared the show to NBC’s Meet The Press and CBS’ Face The Nation, which feature interviews and roundtable analysis of political and news topics.

Carr, however, contends that The View does not meet the criteria of those shows as news programs, and so should be required to offer time to multiple candidates in a political race if they feature one of them.

In its May 7 petition to the FCC, Disney and ABC noted that the FCC’s actions could upend “settled law and practice,” as well as “chill critical protected speech both with respect to ‘The View’ and more broadly.”

The filing also notes that the show has “been broadcasting under a bona fide news exemption granted to it more than 20 years ago,” and that the exemption “remains valid.”

I COULD feel my body softening with each wave of my masseuse’s hand.

She scrubbed in circular motions, massaging the salt into my skin until it sparkled like the sea just beyond the spa door.

Salt, it turns out, is so much more than just a seasoning to sprinkle on your food — especially here on this picturesque stretch of Majorca’s southern coast.

I was staying at recently-opened five-star hotel Iberostar Selection Es Trenc, in the town of Colonia de Sant Jordi, half an hour’s drive from Palma airport.

It oozes relaxation, with its seafront location, ocean-coloured decor and knock-out spa treatments.

The hotel is also big on using local produce — including the nearby salt flats’ Flor de Sal.

This is used in massages and scrubs, as well as food served at the hotel and even cocktails.

Keep your eyes peeled for the picante salt, used to rim some of the hotel’s signature cocktails like mezcalitas and spicy margaritas.

Should you wish, you can visit the salt flats — a 20-minute cab ride from the hotel and home to fabulous wildlife.

You can even try harvesting some salt — it’s harder than it looks, but you’ll leave with your own jar of the flakes.

If that’s not enough physical exertion, the Iberostar Selection Es Trenc also offers rental bikes.

I weaved my way along the sun-drenched local roads for a gentle ten minutes toward the Far de la Colonia de Sant Jordi lighthouse.

The views from here are breathtaking and great for photos.

Those who prefer a more intense workout can pick from kickboxing, TRX gym work and Zumba classes.

I opted instead for a dip in the pool on the hotel’s rooftop terrace, also used for sunrise yoga classes.

I’m sadly not a very nimble yogi, but did join a session and felt serenely relaxed.

Not that I needed to unwind any more — the hotel is designed so every room has a sea view, and I opened my curtains each morning to soothing views of the waves.

Another treat is the hotel’s a la carte restaurant, Salvient, which has a homely feel.

It takes its name from the Spanish word for salt — sal — and you will not struggle to guess why.

If you’ve developed a taste for Es Trenc’s “white gold”, as the locals call it, make sure to order the dentex — a sea bream-style fish cooked whole and served on a huge bed of salt.

The large fish can be shared with family or friends, but was so light and flaky I reckon I could have eaten the entire thing by myself.

Or the hotel has a buffet-style restaurant — and there’s plenty of restaurants in town, too.

5Illes restaurant, by the town beach and about a 15-minute walk from the Iberostar, is well worth a visit.

It specialises in rice dishes and my paella was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, served sizzling in a large pan and stacked with seafood.

Tummy well and truly satisfied, I ended my Majorca getaway with a private boat trip around the island to soak up my final sunset.

I’m not sure what was better — the view from the Iberostar rooftop or this one from the sea.

As long as I have a salt-rimmed cocktail in hand, who cares?

Vivica A. Fox dreamed of being a model, but in order to receive her mother’s blessing to move to Southern California, where the jobs were, she had to promise her one thing: She’d go to college.

So that’s what she did. At 18, Fox left her hometown of Indianapolis for Huntington Beach, where she attended Golden West College and got an associate’s degree in social sciences. On weekends, she’d drive up to L.A. for auditions, getting her first taste of show business while dancing on Don Cornelius’ iconic television series “Soul Train” and later nabbing her first acting gig as Dr. Stephanie Simmons on “Young and the Restless,” a role she recently reprised after more than 30 years.

“The rest is kind of history,” says Fox, who went on to star in other hit films including “Kill Bill: Vol. 1,” “Two Can Play That Game,” “Soul Food” and “Set It Off,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Her latest project, “Is God Is,” hits theaters Friday. Directed by Aleshea Harris, who wrote the award-winning play of the same name, the film follows twin sisters as they embark on a vengeful quest to find their abusive father, who left them for dead. Fox plays God, the twins’ mother, a burn victim and domestic abuse survivor who gives her daughters a simple yet chilling instruction: “Make your daddy dead. Real dead.” Harris handpicked Fox for the role.

“I just was so honored,” Fox says. “Then when I got the script and dove into it a little bit more, I was like ‘Ooh, this is a way no one has ever seen me. This is going to be challenging.”

She adds, “I was like, ‘Wow. We don’t get things like this,’ so it was honestly, for me, a no-brainer.”

Sundays are the one day of the week where Fox can “do me,” she says. Here’s how she’d spend it in L.A.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

6:30 a.m.: Quick coffee run

I’m usually up by 6:30 or 7 a.m. I’m an early bird because I’m so used to either having to be on set or when my publicist, B.J., was living on the East Coast and I’d have to respond to answer his emails in a timely manner. Once I’m awake and settled, I’d get some Starbucks. I’d order a venti white chocolate mocha with an extra shot of espresso, no whipped cream. I used to order kale bites, which I’d eat with the meat from the sausage and egg sandwich, but they discontinued them so now I just get the sandwich.

8 a.m.: Float in hot springs

I’d head to the Beverly Hot Springs. I would get a body care treatment. It’s awesome because they rub you from head to toe with body oil, then they wash your hair and give you a cucumber and yogurt mask. After that, I would get a facial and float in the water. It is one of the only spas with natural, alkaline hot springs in L.A., so the water is just heavenly.

2 p.m.: Margarita and caviar fries with a view

After that, I would meet with a friend, more than likely B.J., at the rooftop restaurant at Waldorf Astoria. The reason why I love going there is because of the view. On a beautiful, clear day, you can see all of Los Angeles. It has a 360 view that is absolutely incredible. I would start off with the caviar fries and a spicy margarita with a tajin rim. Then I would do either the salmon with spinach or if it was a super cheat day, I’d have a cheeseburger.

4 p.m.: A Broadway show or a sports game

I’d probably go home and take a short nap. But if my godson, Quentin Blanton Junior, is in town, I’d go see him perform at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. He’s playing little Michael in “MJ: The Musical” at the Pantages Theatre. [Editor’s note: We interviewed Fox before the show ended earlier this month]. I’m so proud of him. But if he’s not performing, I’d go to a Chargers or Lakers game. I’m a sports junkie. I’m from Indiana. We grow up on football and basketball. I’ve always loved the Lakers. I remember going to the games back in the day in Inglewood because I used to live there. I used to walk to the games. That was the golden era of Magic and all those guys, then Kobe and them moved up to Staples, which is now Crypto.

9 p.m.: Nightcap before bed

I’d end my Sunday with a night cap at the Delta Club at the Lakers game. I’d have a glass of wine before heading home, then I’d drink a Lacroix to hydrate. I try to be in the bed definitely before midnight.